Nellis airman dies of Pave Hawk crash injuries - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Nellis airman dies of Pave Hawk crash injuries

The crash that killed four airmen last month when their HH-60G Pave Hawk crashed in Afghanistan claimed another life last week.

Capt. David A. Wisniewski died July 2 at National Naval Medical Center. He had been at the Bethesda, Md., hospital since his helicopter crashed June 9 in Helmand province. Two others were wounded when the medical-evacuation helicopter went down near the Sangin district bazaar.

Wisniewski, a 31-year-old Iowa native, served with the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. He was a 2002 graduate of the Air Force Academy.

Wisniewski flew more than 1,500 hours — including 289 combat hours — during his eight-year career, according to a Nellis press release.

“In one day, Dave was key in saving 40 people during the largest single mass casualty mission in Regional Command South,” squadron commander Lt. Col. Thomas Dorl said in a release. “This was no small feat as he braved enemy action and flew into a hot landing zone three times to save people who [he] did not even know.”

Chet Wisniewski, told the Sioux City Journal last month that his son helped rescue “three people who were on the ground and then was watching for the second chopper when they were shot down.”

The Air Force also released the names of the two airmen injured in the crash. Capt. Anthony Simone and Tech. Sgt. Christopher Aguilera, both of the 66th Rescue Squadron, are recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas.

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